Music Artists You Should Know: Donna Lewis

With nearly three decades worth of experience behind her, it’s odd to think of Welsh singer Donna Lewis as an upcoming artist with a top 10 hit in the form of 1996’s ballad “I Love You Always Forever.”

However, unlike other artists who found success in the past, Lewis continues to push herself in ways that are more like a musician or band just getting started than someone who has seen and known a dedicated following. Her latest album, Rooms with a View, a collaboration with producer Holmes Ives, exhibits how someone could tackle modern-day electronic music while speaking on challenging experiences such as her fight with breast cancer.

“Cancer was the uninvited messenger, the darkdweller who I sought to banish with the love of my family, brilliant doctors and my art,” said Lewis.

When she first learned of her diagnosis in 2021, she was getting ready to celebrate the 25th anniversary of “I Love You Always Forever.” Despite the immediate obstacles her breast cancer posed, her dedication to music after realizing the light it provided for her makes her newest material all the more impressive, as well as her new role as ambassador for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Around that time, she discovered Ives and quickly formed a productive collaboration with him.

Although unafraid to go into dark emotional spaces, Lewis and Ives’ new album uses the electronic genre as a vehicle for providing the same optimism that allowed her to triumph over the diagnosis. 

Rooms with a View expands upon the music of the 90s that surrounded Lewis by injecting modern sensibilities, ranging from lush synth beds to hypnotizing, bedroom pop-esque vocals. “The Messenger” opens the album to a fluttering instrumental echoing as if coming from a distance. Lewis’ voice sticks out the most, which hasn’t changed one bit and bleeds into the background like another texture to Ives’ glossy production.

In a similar vein, the title track shows off her range, this time tossing the electronic production in favor of gentle guitar strumming. Perhaps the most vibrant song on the album, it brings out Lewis at her softest, with her spectral vocals acting as a guide through the sadness.

Whether it’s the enduring impact of “I Love You Always Forever,” a song that still influences artists like Romy, or the ability to keep experimenting years and years later, Lewis has an aptitude for overcoming any setbacks. More than that, she has an endurance that applies to her artistic endeavors and her personal experiences, which is something nothing short of inspiring.

Words: David Sosa

Rooms with a View by Donna Lewis and Holmes Ivse is out now on streaming services. For more on new music and potential shows, follow her on Instagram and her website.